It was a wet send-off Monday for Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Rodel Batocabe, who was assassinated Dec. 22 in his hometown of Daraga in Albay.
Radio reports said the lawmaker was buried at the Daraga Catholic Cemetery, which was flooded due to heavy rains brought by tropical storm “Usman.”
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Family, friends and supporters wore black shirts with “Justice for Rodel Batocabe” emblazoned on them as they laid the lawmaker to rest.
Batocabe, who planned to run for mayor in 2019, was shot dead along with his police escort, SPO1 Orlando Diaz, after a gift-giving ceremony in his hometown. Police said six gunmen were involved in the attack, which also wounded nine others.
Senator JV Ejercito said Monday the failure of the police to arrest the killers would embolden more guns-for-hire during the election season.
“Of the recent political killings, none has been resolved. This is the reason guns-for-hire are gaining confidence in killing,” Ejercito said after visiting Batocabe’s wake.
Senator Richard Gordon earlier said a series of attacks occuring in less than a fortnight was a sign that a culture of violence and impunity was taking hold.
“There is a culture of violence and impunity that must be stopped immediately by ensuring that the police and the people are reminded that we are a country that follows the rule of law. Such appears to have been forgotten as shown by violent events that occurred in the past 10 days,” Gordon said. Gordon.
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“With the level of technology we have today, with the number of CCTV and mobile phone cameras around, dedicated and systematic police work can result in the identification and arrest of the perpetrators of these acts of violence,” said Gordon.
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